Diplomacy has always been a tool to shape peace, but today it carries renewed meaning. It is no longer limited to political negotiations; it now includes community-led action, cross-cultural collaboration, and values-driven advocacy. It includes people like you and me. And it must evolve to meet the scale of today’s challenges. As the UN New York Representative for the International Association of Youth and Students for Peace (IAYSP), a global youth organization active in over 50 countries, I have seen how powerful diplomacy becomes when it is rooted in purpose and carried forward by people who believe in building a more just, inclusive, and peaceful world.
At the heart of that evolution are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are a blueprint for peace, justice, and sustainability, adopted in 2015 by all 193 UN member states. These 17 goals—from gender equality to climate action, and quality education to decent work—are more than policy frameworks. They are promises. But according to the UN’s 2023 SDG Progress Report, only 15% of the SDG targets are on track, and nearly half have seen weak or even reversed progress. We are running out of time.
Yet there are signs of renewed momentum. The 2025 SDG Progress Report shows that 35% of targets are now on track or making moderate progress, which is an improvement demonstrating the potential of coordinated, targeted efforts. While 18% of targets have regressed, this modest shift is a reminder that meaningful progress is still possible. The window is narrowing, but it is not closed. With bold action and strengthened cooperation, we can still deliver on the promises of the 2030 SDG Agenda.
Over the past year, I’ve worked across various platforms to safeguard that vision, particularly from the perspective of youth. In my capacity representing IAYSP at the UN Headquarters in New York, I’ve had the privilege of speaking at high-level sessions, side events, and consultations, amplifying the voices of young people globally. One of our core missions at IAYSP is to promote values-based education, helping young people not only acquire knowledge but also develop into responsible, empathetic global citizens. This is why SDG 4: Quality Education is at the heart of everything we do. It’s why I am steadfast in advocating for education that empowers, enriches, and inspires—not just informs.
In December, I returned to Nepal to co-facilitate a Peace Designer Seminar, where we worked with local youth to develop grassroots initiatives for peacebuilding. What I witnessed there reaffirmed something I’ve seen often: young people care deeply, but many have never heard of the SDGs or have lost trust in institutions like the UN. This isn’t because they don’t want change; it’s because the bridge between global policy and local reality still feels too wide.
As part of my advocacy, I’ve also focused on gender equality (SDG 5) and decent work (SDG 8), especially the urgent need to ensure safe, inclusive, and respectful spaces for women and youth. During the 2025 UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), I organized and moderated a side event titled “Sexual Harassment as a Barrier to Achieving the SDGs.” One of our key goals was to push for the ratification of ILO Convention 190, a critical global standard that aims to eliminate violence and harassment in the world of work. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), nearly one in five people have experienced violence or harassment at work, with women and youth facing a disproportionate share. These numbers represent stories of lives interrupted, voices silenced, and potential lost.
Earlier that year, during CSW69, I also co-led a side event titled “Beauty Will Save the World: Advancing the SDGs Through Women and Girls’ Leadership.” We weren’t just celebrating appearances; instead, we were redefining beauty, adding another dimension filled with courage, integrity, and purpose. From pageant queens to grassroots activists, we highlighted women who are using their platforms to lead climate action, advocate for education, and build peace. In a time of chaos and disconnection, I truly believe that a holistic understanding of beauty—when reframed as a catalyst for leadership, advocacy, and transformation—can help heal and inspire our world.
Of course, the United Nations system itself is both diverse and complex. With specialized agencies like UN Women, UNDP, UNICEF, WHO, ILO, and many more, it brings together governments, experts, and communities to address our most pressing challenges. It is not perfect, though. Resolutions take time. Politics sometimes slows progress. And in my experience, many youth today feel alienated from these processes. Yet in those very rooms—whether at ECOSOC meetings, youth consultations, or civil society forums—I’ve seen young people courageously raise their voices. That is what keeps the UN relevant: not its structure, but the people who continue to challenge and contribute to it.
Yet inclusion must go deeper than visibility. At IAYSP, we continue to push for the full realization of the Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) agenda, anchored in UN Security Council Resolution 2250. This landmark resolution doesn’t frame youth as recipients of peace, but as architects of it. To live up to that promise, we must move beyond symbolic participation and truly integrate young people into decision-making processes—whether in peacebuilding efforts, policy development, or resource allocation. Through our work in over 50 countries, IAYSP aims to put this vision into practice by championing youth-led peace education, interfaith collaboration, and community-driven service projects that place young people at the heart of sustainable transformation.
In all of this, my journey from pageantry to diplomacy has been less of a departure and more of an organic transformation. Representing Nepal at many international pageants and later serving as National Director for Miss Universe Nepal gave me a platform to advocate for education, dignity, and women’s leadership. Pageantry, at its best, taught me to listen, connect across cultures, and carry responsibility gracefully. I now see it as a form of Track 2 diplomacy in building people-to-people dialogue, long before I ever stepped into UN chambers.
Today, my work centers on conflict transformation, not just conflict resolution. Peace isn’t the absence of war; it’s the presence of justice, balance, and belonging. It begins with how we treat one another—not only in institutions, but in our families, our homes, and our daily lives. I often reflect on a truth: our inner state creates ripples in the outer world. Peace starts from within—with empathy, with forgiveness, and with the courage to lead, having higher purpose in heart. From our families to our institutions, from rural communities to multilateral spaces, diplomacy rooted in humanity can transform the world.
And we must do so now. According to the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, there are currently over 55 active armed conflicts across the globe—the highest recorded since World War II. From Ukraine to Gaza, Sudan to Myanmar, the humanitarian toll is devastating. These are not distant problems; they are moral tests for all of us. Diplomacy must be brave enough to speak the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable, and human enough to listen, even when it’s hard.
As we look toward the 2030 SDG Agenda, I remain hopeful—not naively, but because I’ve seen the power of individuals who dare to believe. In overfilled UN conference rooms, remote villages in Nepal, or quiet moments of mentoring, I’ve seen that spark.
Peace is possible. And it starts with all of us. Whether you’re organizing a local workshop, challenging injustice in your community, or simply choosing kindness in a divided world, you are part of the solution. For the youth of Nepal and beyond: this is your time. The world doesn’t just need diplomats in suits. It needs diplomats of heart, of action, and of peace.
